Help:Editing
So, you want to create an article, or perhaps you want to do some editing, but you lack experience. Well, this guide can be used as a handy tool to help you avoid mistakes, as well as a simple reference tool for some of the more complicated aspects of the Wikia system. How to create a page Creating a page is rather easy. Simply use the button at the top of the page. However, a page with a similar name, or a page that covers that topic may already exist. Always check, either by typing the name in the search bar, or by browsing around and looking for it. Creating a page is not as hard as it seems. The simplist way is to find a page on a similar topic, copy and paste the contents, and edit the contents to match the subject you want to write about. This is a common thing to do in the Wikia community, and in fact, most of the pages here were made using this technique. Not only to you get a pre-formatted page that looks neat and professional, but it saves other people from having to clean that page up. Style Pages are usually typed in a detached, third-person manner. For example, rather than referring to the target audience (i.e. the Modern Combat players reading the guide) as 'you', as in "You unlock the gun at level 40", refer to the audience as 'the player', or something similar. Also, always try to use correct grammar and punctuation. * Note that this page is not typed in the usual manner. Exceptions can be made, but the above rule is usually followed. Editing modes Wikia uses three types of modes when editing or creating a page. Source mode Source mode is the "old style" for editing or creating a page. All pages on this wiki were typed in this mode. Source sacrifices form for function, as it can be easier to add things like links or templates, though initially, it can seem daunting for new members. It is HIGHLY reccomended new members get used to this mode, as the Visual Editor can cause dirty diffs: problems in the source that you maybe can't see, but is very annoying when formatting. You can change your standard editing style under the Profile dropdown menu on the top-right of the website -> Preferences -> Editing. Rich Text Editor The Rich Text Editor (RTE) is rather the opposite of Source mode, with a more "friendly" interface, though it lack some of the function of Source mode. Note that attempting to type code into Visual still works. VisualEditor The VisualEditor is a new editing mode. It uses the same principe as the Visual mode, but shows the page instead of green puzzle pieces. *If you attempt to copy and paste anything, copy the source, and paste it into the Source mode. Attempting to paste an article from Source mode into a new, blank Visual page will not work correctly. Formatting Headings Knowing how to use the correct formatting can be very useful. While there are many more options than listed here, the following outlines the most common options. It is a good idea to break up long articles into sections to help the reader stay oriented and interested. This can be done adding headings. To add a heading that you can edit, add 2 though 6 equal signs , , , or = to both sides of your Heading text. Afterwards, just add the content of the section underneath. For example, one on either side, as in "= Header =" , though with no spaces or quotation marks, gives you: =Heading Lvl 1= Adding a second sign, such as in " Header ", though again, without spaces or quotation marks, gives you: Heading Lvl 2 Add another on either side: Heading Lvl 3 And so on. You can create up to 6 levels of sub-headings, though levels 5 and 6 are not editable as section edits. Heading Lvl 4 Heading Lvl 5 =Heading Lvl 6 = Bullet Points Bullet Points are another valuble tool for seperating the contents of an article. You can add Bullet Points by simply adding an asterisk (Shift+8) before the first word in a new section. *This helps break up an article into more easily-read sections. Bold and Italic Words By using the apostrophe key, you can add Bold or Italic words. You can also use the buttons at the top of the page. Bold words are made by adding 3 apostrophes on either side of the word. Italic words are made by adding 2 apostrophes. List with results ":" Creates indented text, ";" creates a bold sentence. This can be used on pages like the glossary. ;The question here :The first answer here :The second answer here Creates: ;The question here :The first answer here :The second answer here Links Links are a common sight on any wiki, and are generally used to either redirect readers to related pages or as references. External Links An "external link" redirects to a website outside of the current one. For example, even if the site you wish to redirect to is another Wikia site, it still counts as an external link. You can add an external link by adding [ ] on either side of the link. First, put the full URL between the [ ]. After a space, add the title you want to displayed in the article. For example, if you wanted to link to Wikipedia, you would type it as "Wikipedia", though with correct spacing. Done right, it looks like this: Wikipedia Internal Links Internal Links are used to redirect readers to a page on this wiki. By adding 2 vertical brackets on either side of the name of the page you want to link to, the word(s) become a link. For example, to link to the AK-47 page, you type AK-47, then add two Square Brackets to "box in" the word. Correctly done, it looks like this: AK-47 . * Note that if a page does not exist, or if the link's wording is incorrectly typed, you will get a red link. Check the spelling, and make sure that page doesn't already exist. * If you want to have the link text say something, but link to another, it's quite simple. Using the | key, you can break an internal link into where the text links to|what you want it to say. For example, a standard AK-47 link shows as : AK-47, but by using the above method, you can make the link say whatever you want (code: say whatever you want) * You can link to sections in an article with #. AK-47#Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus gives AK-47#Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus. ** This works with Wikipedia links, too: wikipedia:Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation#Plot If the link is an external link, simply add a space after the link's URL, then type whatever text you want. Templates Standard templates Templates are pages that use the Template namespace, and can be inserted into other pages as a way to direct readers to other related pages.Templates can be added to a page by typing " ", with the name of the template in the middle, and without quotation marks. Infoboxes An infobox is a small template used to provide standardized information over a selection of similar pages. A common example on the Modern Combat Wiki is the Infobox used to give information on the various weapons in the games. Infoboxes are easy to use, and can be added by copying the infobox source code of a similar page, paste it, then tweak the contents. Photos and Videos 300px|Official Trailer Photos, Galleries, and Videos can be added to expand upon the content of a page. *Photos can be added by clicking on the "Add Photo" button on the right-hand side of any page. .PNG format is preferred, but the wiki will also use .jpg files just fine. You can add a photo by clicking the "Photo" button in the editing phase. *Galleries are used to neatly display a variety of photos about a single topic by clicking the "Gallery" button in the editing phase, then adjusting the various parameters. On this wiki, gallery photos are usually scaled to 185px (the default), and gallery borders are usually Black and Medium sized. *Videos are rarely used, but can be seen occasionally. To add a video, simply click on the "Video" button in the editing phase, then copy and paste the URL of the video. Youtube videos are best to use. Common Mistakes Newcomers to Wikia may find they unintentionally make a mistake. That's alright-it happens to everyone! Here are a few common mistakes, and how you can help fix them. Protecting Pages There is no need to protect a page, as the majority of Wikia pages should be open and editable by the community. Yes, you may be proud of that page you just made, but there is no need to Protect it. Exceptions to this rule include pages that have been vandalised, or are in the middle of an edit war, or pages full of complex code. Deleting Content If a page is poorly-written, or perhaps contains incorrect information, don't delete it, fix it! Consider what the original author was trying to say, then try to clarify it. If it is mis-catagorized or out of place, perhaps move the content, or create a new page for it. If all else fails, move it to the article's Talk page, so the community can discuss how to fix the matter. Remember, wikis are based around their respective community, so if a page is amateurish, try to clean it up. Confusion about Ownership One of the great things about Wikia wikis are that they're based around the idea of community, where everyone has a hand in making decisions as a group. To that end, no single user "owns" a wiki, even if you requested that the wiki be created or you're an administrator. Wikis are owned by their communities, and everyone is welcome to edit and contribute. Problems and Solutions Being a community-driven effort, you will occasionally come across problem individuals. Below is a quick guide on how not to act on a wiki, as well as how to deal with a problem, should it arise. Trolls, Flamers, etc. Some people will simply come around to cause trouble in various ways. For the most part, they can be ignored, since anything they do can be reverted in seconds. However, if you are being harassed on the Modern Combat Wiki, simply leave me a message on My Talk page, and they'll get a swift ban. Blanking Pages "Blanking" a page referrs to a common tactic, where a user who is upset with the content of a page will Edit the page and delete the whole article. If you come across a blanked page, you can revert the blank by accessing the page's History using the tab beside the page's name. If possible, tell an Admin if you come across someone blanking pages. Vandalism Vandalism is "the act of editing the project in a malicious manner that is intentionally disruptive. Vandalism includes the addition, removal, or other modification of the text or other material that is either humorous, nonsensical, a hoax, spam or promotion of a subject, or that is of an offensive, humiliating, or otherwise degrading in nature", according to Wikipedia. Vandalism can be treated the same way as Blanking. The average user can revert the vandal's text, or, in the worst case, contact an admin. Edit Wars An Edit War is a situation where users repeatedly re-edit or undo or reverse the prior user's edits in an attempt to make their own preferred version of a page visible. With the ability for anyone to edit a page, and older versions of pages stored in the edit history, edit warring becomes possible as long as there is little or no control over the editing. If you see an Edit war that has gone unnoticed, inform an Admin. In the worst case, the page will be blocked from editing by anyone other than admin. Helpful links * , for more info about editing in source mode. * This page on Halo Nation, which has a detailed explanation about WikiText. The following links can assist you, should you wish to learn more about Wikia. * The Help Wiki * Avoiding Common Mistakes on Wikipedia, on which parts of this article were based. * Wikipedia's replies to common objections. Wikia Help